Greenfield Man Pleads Guilty To New Charge After Wife's Stabbing Death

GREENFIELD, WI — After police said they found a woman stabbed to death in May at her Greenfield home, her husband has pleaded guilty to a reduced homicide charge, according to court records.

Braeden Ward initially pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree intentional homicide after he told police he killed his wife at her request, according to a complaint and online court records.

On Friday, Ward pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of first-degree reckless homicide, online records showed. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported the development.

Ward, 49, is expected back in court on Dec. 20 for a sentencing hearing. Ward's conviction on a Class B Felony could carry a penalty of up to 60 years imprisonment in Wisconsin. The original charge could have carried a penalty of life in prison.

Police found the body of 50-year-old Jamie Ward in her Greenfield home's bathroom, according to an initial criminal complaint. Her husband told police that he had stabbed her over a week earlier to help her end her life at her request, according to the complaint.

Ward told police his wife suffered from chronic pain and that she "had begun talking about killing herself" with his help about a year before she was found dead, according to the complaint.

Ward was arrested after police found his wife's body in May in a standoff in Franklin in the 6900 block of Lovers Lane, according to a complaint.

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